Vendors Shortlist Process

Progress Summary – ERP Vendor Shortlisting for Smart360 Partnerships

ERP Partnership & Integration – Questions and Answers

1. What integrations need to be done?

• Finance ↔ Billing → Sync consumer billing data from Smart360 with ERP financials.
• HCM ↔ Workforce Management → Sync employee/contractor records between ERP HCM and Smart360 fieldwork/operations.
• Procurement ↔ Asset/Inventory → Integrate ERP procurement with Smart360 asset and materials management.
• Project Management ↔ Work Orders → Link ERP project costing with Smart360 service orders and capital projects.

2. Why do these integrations need to be done?

• To provide an end-to-end solution for digitizing and modernizing utilities, ensuring Smart360 evolves into the real 360° platform for utility operations.
• To avoid duplicate data entry across ERP and Smart360.
• To ensure financial accuracy (billing revenue aligns with ERP financial books).
• To improve operational efficiency by aligning HR, assets, and procurement data.
• To provide a single source of truth for audits, compliance, and decision-making.

3. What is the business case for each integration?

• Finance-Billing → Faster reconciliations, reduced revenue leakage, accurate financial reporting.
• HCM-Workforce → Unified workforce view, better resource allocation, compliance with labor laws.
• Procurement-Asset/Inventory → Optimized material usage, reduced stock-outs/over-purchasing, lower operating costs.
• Project Mgmt-Work Orders → Accurate project costing, better tracking of utility projects, stronger capital planning.

4. What features are required from the integration software?

• API-first architecture (REST/SOAP compatibility).
• Real-time and batch sync options.
• Error handling & retry mechanisms.
• Data transformation & mapping tools.
• Scalability for high transaction volumes.
• Security & compliance (encryption, role-based access, GDPR/SOC2 adherence).
• Audit trails & monitoring dashboards.

5. How will the entire business case be reviewed?

• Conduct stakeholder workshops (Finance, HR, Operations, IT).
• Perform cost-benefit analysis (integration costs vs. savings/efficiency gains).
• Run a proof-of-concept (PoC) with selected vendors.
• Validate with compliance, security, and IT governance teams.
• Finalize based on ROI and risk assessment.

6. How will vendors be shortlisted?

• Step 1: Identify vendors who are active in the utility sector for ERP solutions.
• Step 2: Filter out vendors whose capabilities overlap with Smart360, since they are least likely to partner if they already provide similar solutions.
• Step 3: Rank the remaining vendors based on key parameters such as:
  • AI advancement
  • Pricing
  • Market reach
  • Mutual value exchange (what they gain from us and what we gain from them)
• Step 4: Contact vendors in the ranked order and initiate the partnership process.

7. What is the process to reach the final decision?

• Step 1: Conduct a comparative evaluation of shortlisted vendors based on the ranking criteria (AI advancement, pricing, market reach, and mutual value exchange).
• Step 2: Engage in detailed discussions with top-ranked vendors to assess integration feasibility, technical alignment, and partnership interest.
• Step 3: Review the business case for each vendor, including long-term scalability, financial impact, and strategic fit with Smart360’s vision of becoming a complete end-to-end digital utility platform.
• Step 4: Prepare a final recommendation report summarizing findings, risks, and benefits.
• Step 5: Present the report to the leadership team for approval and final decision-making.

Initial Goal

• Smart360 already provides Utility Management Software (water, wastewater, electricity, gas).
• The objective is to find ERP partners who cover core ERP modules but do not overlap with Smart360’s utility domain.

Core ERP Modules We Want in a Partner

1. Human Capital Management (HCM)
2. Financial Management
3. Procurement & Supply Chain Management
4. Project Management

Utility Management Modules Already Covered by Smart360 (Do Not Partner if Overlap Exists)

• Meter Data Management (AMI/MDM ingestion, validation, estimation, editing)
• Billing & Revenue Management (rates, invoicing, collections)
• Consumer Information System (account lifecycle, service orders)
• Work & Asset Management (utility network assets, jobs, crews, GIS-linked)
• Customer Engagement & Communication Hub (omnichannel)
• Service Requests & New Connections
• Field Operations & Workforce Management

First-Level Shortlist of ERP Vendors

• Ramco
• Epicore
• Focus (Focus Softnet)
• Acumatica
• IFS
• CenterPoint
• VIA Industry ERP
• Odoo
• Aclarian
• Foundation
• Unanet

Sources of Shortlisting

1. RFPs reviewed → Many utilities included ERP requirements (HCM, Finance, SCM, Project Mgmt) but not Utility Management, leading to identification of vendors serving those needs.
2. Independent research → Product websites, analyst reports, and ERP industry reviews were used to identify vendors that are:
   • Well-positioned in ERP
   • Not primarily focused on utilities
   • Potentially complementary to Smart360’s scope

Why These Vendors Were Likely Shortlisted

• Ramco → Strong in HCM and payroll; global ERP reach with industry-neutral solutions.
• Epicor → Well-known mid-market ERP vendor with strengths in manufacturing, distribution, and project-based industries.
• Focus (Softnet) → Affordable, modular ERP popular in emerging markets, covers Finance and SCM.
• Acumatica → Modern cloud-native ERP, strong in Financials, Procurement, and Project Accounting.
• IFS → Known for project-centric ERP, asset-intensive industries, and global deployments.
• CenterPoint (Red Wing) → Focused ERP/Accounting for SMBs, strong financial and payroll modules.
• VAI (S2K Enterprise) → Industry ERP with robust Financials, SCM, and Manufacturing modules.
• Odoo → Open-source ERP with flexible modular architecture (Accounting, HR, Inventory, Project Mgmt).
• Aclarian → (Identity unconfirmed, likely shortlisted from RFP mentions).
• Foundation Software → Recognized ERP for construction and project-based financial management.
• Unanet → ERP with strong Project Management and Financials, widely used in government contracting and professional services.

Next-Level Shortlisting Requirement

• Exclude vendors with any Utility Management overlap (CIS, MDM, utility-specific asset/work mgmt, outage mgmt, or branded utility industry solutions).
• Keep vendors that only focus on ERP (HCM, Financials, Procurement, Project Mgmt).

1) EXCLUDED — Utility Management Overlap Found

2) RECOMMENDED — Pure ERP (No Utility Mgmt Overlap)

3) UNCLEAR — Do Not Recommend (needs manual verification)

4) Final Shortlist (Recommended Only)

• Epicor — Strong manufacturing/distribution ERP with core modules, no utility industry branding or overlapping modules.
• Acumatica — Flexible cloud ERP with strong project, financial and procurement modules, no official utility management offering.
• Aclarian — Local government financial ERP specialization; no utility sector product evidence.
• Foundation — Construction-centric accounting/project ERP with no utility ERP overlaps.
• Unanet — Project-based ERP focused on government contractors, no utilities focus.
• VAI S2K (VIA Industry) — Proven ERP for manufacturing/distribution; no clear utility overlay but requires deeper review.

Partnership Benefit & Commercial Playbook Analysis

1. EPICOR

Executive summary: POSITIVE — Mid-market ERP leader with strong AI, APIs, and 40+ years of credibility. A partnership would help Epicor enter the utility vertical while Smart360 gains reach into Epicor’s customer ecosystem.

What Smart360 gains:

• Access to Epicor’s large mid-market customer base.
• Integration with mature ERP modules (financials, procurement, HCM, project mgmt).
• Leverage Epicor’s AI capabilities (Epicor Prism) and integration platform.

What Epicor gains:

• Entry into the $50B+ utility software market without building in-house.
• Differentiation vs. SAP/Oracle by offering a utility-focused add-on.
• New recurring revenue opportunities by co-selling into utilities.

Why they would be interested (top 3):

1. Market expansion into utilities.
2. Strengthened AI differentiation with Smart360’s utility data.
3. Revenue growth via cross-sell into utilities.

Objections they might raise:

• Risk of channel conflict with existing resellers.
• Integration complexity with utility domain.
• Need to validate actual utility adoption.

Suggested partnership model(s):

• Joint solution partnership: Epicor leads sales, Smart360 provides utility depth.
• Reseller/referral model: Smart360 listed as Epicor’s utility partner.

Go-to-market plays:

• Joint demos at utility events (DistribuTECH, AWWA).
• Industry-specific ROI calculators.
• Target utilities already running Epicor ERP.

Pilot focus:

• Data sync between Epicor Kinetic and Smart360 (assets, billing, work orders).
• Timeline: ~90 days.
• Success = smooth sync, reduced double entry, measurable efficiency gains.

Commercial upside: HIGH — Epicor’s pricing enables meaningful deal sizes; utility expansion broadens TAM.

Integration friction: LOW — Strong API ecosystem and cloud-first design.

2. ACUMATICA

Executive summary: POSITIVE — Cloud-native ERP with flexible consumption pricing and strong APIs. Ideal for embedding utility workflows and co-selling into small/mid-size utilities.

What Smart360 gains:

• Access to unlimited-user licensing model (fits utility workforce structures).
• Cloud-native, API-first architecture.
• Early AI capabilities (AI Studio, GenAI assistant).

What Acumatica gains:

• Utility-specific solution to stand against NetSuite/SAP.
• Increased transaction volumes (driving their consumption-based revenue).
• Market credibility in utilities without heavy R&D.

Why they would be interested:

1. Transaction-heavy utility operations = good fit for consumption model.
2. Cloud-first alignment with Smart360.
3. Market differentiation.

Objections:

• Partner channel conflicts.
• Internal dev resource allocation.
• Proof needed of transaction volume uplift.

Models:

• Revenue share partnership.
• Marketplace-certified utility integration.

Plays:

• Publish certified Smart360 integration.
• Joint case studies.
• Target existing construction/project customers also operating utilities.

Pilot:

• Sync of consumer, project, billing, and finance data.
• Timeline: ~120 days.
• Success = transaction growth, low API error rate, faster project completion.

Commercial upside: MEDIUM — Good deal sizes but slower cycle.

Integration friction: LOW — Excellent REST/OData support.

ACLARIAN

Executive summary (1 line): NEUTRAL — Government-focused ERP with a clear municipal footprint; good fit for municipal & small regional utilities but limited scale outside government buyer channels.

What Smart360 gains

• Direct entry to municipal/municipal-adjacent utility buyers and procurement channels.
• Easier procurement path into city utilities (single-vendor municipal contracts).
• Opportunity to bundle Smart360 operational modules with Aclarian’s financial/accounting footprint for municipalities.

What Aclarian gains

• Operational utility capability to complement its government financial ERP.
• Ability to upsell to municipal clients with one-stop finance + operations offering.
• Differentiation vs other small government ERPs by offering utility operations functionality.

Top 3 motivations for them

1. Expand product scope into operational utility management for their municipal base.
2. Increase customer lifetime value via add-on modules.
3. Faster wins on municipal procurement where they already own finance/HR.

Primary objections / blockers

• Long municipal procurement and budget cycles.
• Public-sector security/compliance and audit requirements.
• Preference to keep core financial product scope limited (dev resource prioritization).

Suggested partnership models

• White-label / Embedded: Smart360 provides utility module as an Aclarian-certified add-on (revenue share).
• Co-sell for municipal deals: Aclarian leads procurement conversations; Smart360 provides implementation and ops expertise.
• Proof-of-Value (PoV) bundle: Short fixed-scope integration offering for municipal pilots.

Go-to-market plays (3 tactical moves)

1. Target municipalities already using Aclarian for finance and present “one invoice, one vendor” procurement story.
2. Co-develop municipal ROI/playbook focused on regulatory compliance, billing accuracy, and month-end automation.
3. Run joint webinars for municipal CFOs + utility managers demonstrating reduced month-end close and fewer billing disputes.

Pilot scope & KPIs

• Integration scope: Sync of billing/customer ledger → municipal accounting, mapping chart of accounts and revenue codes.
• Timeline: 120–180 days (includes procurement & security review).
• KPIs: 100% audit trail preservation, ≤2% reconciliation exceptions, 30% reduction in month-end billing reconciliation effort.

Estimated commercial upside: LOW–MEDIUM — relatively small per-customer ARR but high stickiness due to municipal procurement barriers. (Validate average municipal deal size.)

Technical integration friction: MEDIUM — standard web APIs likely available but expect strict security, hosting and data governance requirements for public-sector customers.

Immediate ask / 3 one-line outreach messages

• Partnerships: “Partner to deliver an end-to-end municipal utility solution — simplify procurement and increase ARR.”
• Product: “Co-design a municipal chart-of-accounts mapping template to accelerate integrations.”
• CRO: “Upsell operational modules to existing municipal finance customers — improve retention.”

Evidence & validation required

• Confirm Aclarian’s API docs, hosting model, and procurement support.
• Validate typical municipal contract values and procurement lead times.

FOUNDATION (Construction ERP)

Executive summary (1 line): NEUTRAL — Construction/project ERP strong on project lifecycle and handover; useful primarily for contracts and contractors transitioning assets to utilities.

What Smart360 gains

• Access to contractors and project owners who later operate/hand over utility assets.
• Source of structured project-to-operations data (asset BOMs, O&M plans) improving asset registry quality.

What Foundation gains

• End-to-end value proposition: project delivery → operational readiness via Smart360.
• Differentiator for customers who value smoother handover and reduced O&M friction.

Top 3 motivations for them

1. Add value for customers through improved project-to-operations handover.
2. Create a new upsell path for post-construction services.
3. Reduce data loss at handover (fewer warranty/defect disputes).

Primary objections / blockers

• Different target personas (construction PMs vs utility ops).
• Integration complexity with project data models (drawings, schedules, as-built).
• Their customers may prefer specialist construction tools for project execution.

Suggested partnership models

• Referral/co-sell: Foundation refers customers for Smart360 handover; small finder’s fee.
• Limited integration (project → asset sync): Exchange of asset lists, warranties, and handover data.
• Pilot service offering: A pre-packaged “handover readiness” service sold jointly.

Go-to-market plays (3 tactical moves)

1. Build “handover” templates (asset register import, as-built docs, O&M package templates).
2. Target large infrastructure contractors with utility customers and run joint pre-construction to operations workshops.
3. Create a case study demonstrating reduced time-to-operational-readiness post-handover.

Pilot scope & KPIs

• Integration scope: Project cost/asset export → Smart360 asset registry + maintenance schedule ingestion.
• Timeline: 120–150 days.
• KPIs: 20% faster asset handover, 90% completeness of asset metadata at handover, 15% reduction in initial maintenance incidents.

Estimated commercial upside: LOW — value is mostly operational (reduced churn and services), not always high ARR from immediate software licenses.

Technical integration friction: MEDIUM — construction data formats (CAD, BIM) add complexity; may require ETL or middleware.

Immediate ask / 3 one-line outreach messages

• Partnerships: “Deliver complete project-to-operations handover solutions for infrastructure projects.”
• Product: “Co-develop an as-built → asset ingestion pipeline to speed operational readiness.”
• CRO: “Offer a joint ‘handover readiness’ paid pilot to large contractors.”

Evidence & validation required

• Validate Foundation’s support for structured handover exports (BIM/CAD metadata, CSV/JSON availability).

UNANET

Executive summary (1 line): POSITIVE — GovCon/project-centric ERP with DCAA/compliance strengths; good for contractors and government-sponsored utility projects.

What Smart360 gains

• Access to government contracting firms and utilities that run DCAA/auditable projects.
• A channel into federally funded utility infrastructure programs.

What Unanet gains

• A capability to offer operational utility modules to contractors (post-construction ops/maintenance).
• Stronger positioning for contractors who want integrated ops visibility after project close.

Top 3 motivations for them

1. Offer a full project → operations continuum to GovCon customers.
2. Differentiate by supporting utilities-related infrastructure projects with operational handover.
3. Drive higher deal values via add-on operations capabilities.

Primary objections / blockers

• DCAA / audit constraints may restrict data-sharing or require strict validation workflows.
• Integration must preserve audit trails and cost-account mapping.
• Their customers expect specialized compliance-first implementations.

Suggested partnership models

• Co-sell for GovCon utility projects: Joint SOWs where Unanet handles project accounting and Smart360 handles ongoing operations.
• Certified integration: Pre-built templates that meet DCAA audit requirements for cost capture and traceability.
• Services partnership: Joint delivery teams for compliance-heavy pilots.

Go-to-market plays (3 tactical moves)

1. Target engineering firms bidding for federally-funded utility programs (EPA, state infrastructure grants).
2. Co-author DCAA-ready integration whitepaper and templates.
3. Sponsor/provide joint sessions at GovCon events and procurement fairs.

Pilot scope & KPIs

• Integration scope: DCAA-compliant project cost tracking → asset transfer + operations cost centers mapping.
• Timeline: 150–180 days (including compliance validation).
• KPIs: 100% audit trail retention, reduced time to prepare DCAA reports by 25–40%, 30% fewer manual reconciliations between project and operations ledgers.

Estimated commercial upside: MEDIUM — moderate ARR per contractor customer; higher strategic value in winning compliance-heavy deals.

Technical integration friction: MEDIUM — APIs exist but integrations must be designed around strict audit and cost-accounting controls.

Immediate ask / 3 one-line outreach messages

• Partnerships: “Deliver DCAA-compliant project-to-operations capability for government utility contracts.”
• Product: “Co-develop audit-preserving mappings between project ledgers and operations.”
• CRO: “Upsell to GovCon customers by bundling operational readiness services post-project.”

Evidence & validation required

• Confirm Unanet’s API capabilities and explicit DCAA support workflows; test with a compliance checklist.

VAI S2K ENTERPRISE

Executive summary (1 line): POSITIVE — Established distribution/manufacturing ERP with integration capabilities; useful for utilities that have strong supply-chain or inventory requirements (chemicals, parts, spares).

What Smart360 gains

• Access to distribution/manufacturing customers that also operate utility assets (chemical dosing, supply logistics).
• Inventory and procurement data to enable smarter utility spare-parts management and predictive reordering.

What VAI gains

• Ability to offer utilities an operations layer for asset management and maintenance scheduling.
• Cross-sell opportunities to distribution customers that operate utility facilities.

Top 3 motivations for them

1. Expand into utility-related operational software to increase cloud/recurring revenue.
2. Embed utility use-cases into supply-chain analytics (predictive parts consumption).
3. Provide customers with a full view from procurement → operations.

Primary objections / blockers

• Legacy architecture (IBM Power heritage) for some customers may complicate cloud-to-cloud real-time sync.
• Channel conflicts with existing resellers or integrators.
• Need to justify integration investment vs existing roadmap.

Suggested partnership models

• Certified integration: Smart360 certified connector for VAI installations (with middleware where needed).
• Joint solution for inventory-driven utilities: Combine procurement, inventory and Smart360 maintenance modules.
• Co-sell to distribution customers operating utilities.

Go-to-market plays (3 tactical moves)

1. Target distributors who provide chemicals/spares to utilities and show combined inventory + asset uptime ROI.
2. Build a packaged “spares optimization for utilities” use-case and pilot it with 2–3 customers.
3. Establish a joint advisory board for predictive maintenance + supply chain integration.

Pilot scope & KPIs

• Integration scope: Real-time inventory levels, purchase orders, spare parts BOMs → Smart360 maintenance & work-order flows.
• Timeline: 90–120 days (plus any middleware work for legacy integrations).
• KPIs: 30–40% reduction in stockouts for critical spares, 25% reduction in emergency procurement cost, 90% accuracy in part-location mapping.

Estimated commercial upside: MEDIUM — potential for larger deal sizes where inventory and operations converge; requires targeted customer selection.

Technical integration friction: MEDIUM — modern VAI instances have APIs; legacy deployments may require middleware/ETL.

Immediate ask / 3 one-line outreach messages

• Partnerships: “Integrate to deliver inventory-driven maintenance for utilities — reduce stockouts and downtime.”
• Product: “Co-create a spares-optimization playbook combining VAI procurement and Smart360 maintenance.”
• CRO: “Cross-sell bundled procurement + maintenance offerings to distribution customers.”

Evidence & validation required

• Confirm VAI API surface area for inventory/PO flows and whether middleware is required for IBM Power-based customers.

Assumptions & Next Steps (recommended, quick)

• All commercial upside statements are estimates — validate with vendor pricing, contract models, and typical deal sizes.
• Next operational step: request each vendor’s API documentation and a sandbox account (or a short technical discovery call) to validate friction.
• I can convert each vendor section into a one-slide “board-ready” summary (title, exec summary, 3 bullets: upside/risks/GTM, pilot & KPIs). Want me to build that deck now?